Chapter 16: I Do Not Long for Love

Sometimes, the gap is small enough that one can still feel jealousy. But when the gap is too wide, not even jealousy can rise.

This was the case for the General Staff.

And also for Colonel Cavaillé.

His son was older than Ning Luo, yet Ning Luo was already the Deputy Director of the Imperial Military Logistics Department. It was hard not to wonder what he himself had been doing at twenty years old—and what his son had been doing at that age.

With Ning Luo’s capabilities, it was inevitable that he would enter the upper echelons of the Empire. Naturally, Colonel Cavaillé wouldn’t dare to offend him.

The two of them walked together down the road.

Colonel Cavaillé was the first to speak.

“Let me introduce myself—William Frédéric Pe Cavaillé.”

“Just call me Ning Luo.”

Colonel Cavaillé had initially intended to have a casual chat with Ning Luo. After all, they would be working together for at least a few more months.

Unexpectedly, Ning Luo had no intention of small talk.

He took Colonel Cavaillé straight to his own office, making it unclear who was truly the Director of the Military Logistics Department.

Well, to be fair—

It was indeed Ning Luo.

Looking at the office piled high with documents, Colonel Cavaillé spoke.

“We could clear out a space to use as the Military Logistics Department’s office.”

“Have someone arrange it tomorrow.”

“Is there anything I can assist you with?”

“Yes, regarding personnel appointments.”

…

Naturally, the Military Logistics Department couldn’t just exist in name only.

In Ning Luo’s design, it was divided into four subordinate departments: the Frontline Dispatch Division, primarily responsible for the rotation and dispatch of frontline units; the Logistics Support Division, which would connect seamlessly with Ning Luo’s existing Office of Logistics Planning; the Troop Health and Recovery Division, which would oversee the rotation and dispatch of rear units; and finally, the Tactics and Coordination Division, responsible for cooperating with frontline tactical execution.

Even if General Asfled completely left him to his own devices, Ning Luo would still demand a senior staff officer to be assigned.

All the information Ning Luo had on the military came from the Brittany Fortress records—he had no idea what the people involved were actually like in person.

These department head positions were simply too critical—there could not be even the slightest mistake.

That was why Ning Luo needed to consult Colonel Cavaillé’s opinion.

“Who does the Colonel think would be suitable to lead the Frontline Dispatch Division?”

“It’s not an easy decision, but I can provide several candidates for you to consider, Captain. It’ll be up to you to make the final choice.”

Colonel Cavaillé showed a great deal of emotional intelligence.

And his posture was appropriately deferential.

He didn’t treat Ning Luo as his adjutant, but rather as his superior, and he addressed Ning Luo with the same respect one would afford a commanding officer.

There was no conflict between Colonel Cavaillé and Ning Luo.

If they could win this war, then as Director of the Military Logistics Department, Ning Luo’s achievements would reflect favorably on him as well. His promotion to general would be all but guaranteed.

In other words, he and Ning Luo shared in both honor and loss.

As for the head of the Frontline Dispatch Division—

That would still be Colonel Cavaillé’s decision. Officially, it would be Ning Luo’s call, but in reality, it had already been decided by Cavaillé.

“Who are the candidates?”

Ning Luo played along and asked.

Such was the nature of politics. Ning Luo knew that Colonel Cavaillé was trying to manipulate him. Colonel Cavaillé also knew that Ning Luo knew he was trying to manipulate him. Ning Luo also knew that Cavaillé knew that he knew Cavaillé was manipulating him. But neither side said a word about it.

“In my view, there are a few suitable candidates: General Ellington, commander of the 23rd Division; Colonel Clayton, liaison officer; General Augrand, Chief of Combat Staff; and Colonel Kato, tactical dispatch officer.”

Colonel Cavaillé’s answer left no room for criticism.

He had essentially listed all the qualified individuals for the role, and each came with clearly defined strengths and weaknesses.

For example—

General Ellington, the frontline commander of the 23rd Division. His advantage was that, as a commander embedded on the front lines, he had an intimate understanding of battlefield conditions. He could adjust troop deployments in real time, reducing the margin for communication errors. The drawback, however, was that such commanders were usually only interested in the front lines. They were often unwilling to leave their soldiers’ side—such behavior would be considered cowardice in their eyes.

Liaison officers were responsible for managing the flow of information across the entire army. A colonel-ranked liaison officer was essentially the highest level in that role. Their strength lay in their ability to coordinate across military units effectively. Their weakness was a lack of actual combat command experience.

Then there was the Chief of Combat Staff.

This was arguably the most influential of the positions. Colonel Cavaillé himself had once held this role—it was one of the core leadership positions in the army, responsible for overall tactical and strategic planning. The advantage was that those in this role had high-level command experience and a clear understanding of strategic needs and tactical adjustments. The drawback, however, was that the position itself was already extremely important and not easily reassigned.

Lastly, there was the Tactical Dispatch Officer. This role was probably the most suitable in terms of job function, which involved troop movements and resource coordination—very similar to the responsibilities of the Frontline Dispatch Division. The advantage was their technical expertise. The disadvantage was their rank—too low. Since the position would involve working with frontline generals, the individual would need enough authority to command their respect.

In short, Colonel Cavaillé had both given Ning Luo choices—and not given him any real choice at all.

The frontline commander wouldn’t accept the role. The Chief of Combat Staff couldn’t be reassigned. The Tactical Dispatch Officer lacked the necessary authority.

Which left only one viable option: the senior liaison officer.

Ning Luo didn’t mind.

“Then please take me to meet Colonel Clayton, the liaison officer.”

“Of course!”

……

…

The senior liaison officer was indeed the most convenient choice. To ensure smooth coordination across the military, the office of the senior liaison officer was usually located at the command center—Brittany Fortress.

And as the top liaison officer, Colonel Clayton’s office was set in the Aerial Command Post, which allowed him to receive all military communications immediately.

Of course, there were no airplanes in this era. The branch of the military that fulfilled the aerial role was the Dragon Cavalry.

When Ning Luo and Colonel Cavaillé arrived at the Aerial Command Post—

They could still see the red flying dragons inside the dragon field. This was one of the rare places in the war where Ning Luo could still feel the presence of magic.

He had to admit—these dragons were breathtaking.

Even when scarred and battered, their red scales still carried a familiar magical aura. What exactly that aura was, Ning Luo couldn’t say. These red dragons were around 7 meters long, 9 meters wide—subspecies of the Red Dragon. As for the pure-blood dragon clans, they hadn’t been seen in this era for a very long time.

Even this red dragon subspecies was rare—there were only just over thirty at Brittany Fortress.

And the reason was simple.

The cost was too high. Breeding a single flying dragon took over twenty years. Training a dragon rider was an astronomical investment. Even the nobility couldn’t afford it. Only an empire of this scale could manage to field a Dragon Cavalry Regiment. And even then, the dragons were only used for reconnaissance. The firepower of modern warfare could easily pierce their scale armor. Deploying them directly into battle would be an unbearable loss.

War was a place where extreme cost-effectiveness was paramount—any unit that lacked it, such as the Dragon Cavalry Regiment, naturally fell out of favor.

At the Aerial Command Post, Ning Luo unexpectedly ran into an old acquaintance.

It was Major Alvin, whom he had previously met at the field hospital. When Ning Luo spotted him, Major Alvin had already noticed both Ning Luo and Colonel Cavaillé.

He immediately walked over and saluted Colonel Cavaillé.

“Colonel.”

Then, feigning surprise at seeing Ning Luo, he spoke to him in a familiar tone.

“Captain Ning Luo, I didn’t expect to see you here. It’s truly a relief that neither of us died in this war.”

“You two know each other?”

Colonel Cavaillé asked.

Major Alvin replied promptly.

“Yes, we met at the Dominique Field Hospital. Captain Ning Luo is a friend of mine.”

“Let me reintroduce things properly—we’ve just established the Military Logistics Department. I’ll be serving as the Director, and Captain Ning Luo is the Deputy Director.”

Colonel Cavaillé deliberately emphasized the words Deputy Director, signaling Major Alvin to watch his words.

This caught Major Alvin slightly off guard.

But one thing was clear to him now:

Ning Luo’s status was far beyond what he had expected.

From Major Alvin’s perspective, Ning Luo had investigated him back at the field hospital, and then proceeded to conduct a deeper probe. After that, Ning Luo was dispatched to the logistics division. Soon after, the Office of Logistics Planning was established—though its subsequent activities were already beyond Major Alvin’s clearance level.

At the time, he had deeply regretted not getting closer to Ning Luo.

And now—

Ning Luo had entered yet another newly formed and important department. The significance of the Military Logistics Department was evident from the name alone. If it weren’t important, General Asfled wouldn’t have assigned his most trusted Chief of Combat Staff, Colonel Cavaillé, as Director—and Ning Luo had somehow become Deputy Director.

This completely confused Major Alvin.

Even if Ning Luo were royalty, a promotion like this was a bit much, wasn’t it? Shouldn’t he at least pretend to earn it?

However—

The one thing Major Alvin couldn’t quite make sense of was the relationship between Colonel Cavaillé and Ning Luo. The Colonel had deliberately stressed “Deputy Director,” which gave off the impression that he was dissatisfied with Ning Luo. This left Major Alvin unsure how to proceed. If their relationship was strained, he’d need to approach Ning Luo in private to build rapport.

In other words, he was determined to cling to Ning Luo’s coattails.

Ning Luo, however, didn’t care what was going through Major Alvin’s head. He simply asked,

“Is Colonel Clayton available? We came to see him.”

“Apologies, the Colonel just left to report to General Asfled. It may be a while before he returns.”

Just as Colonel Cavaillé was about to speak—

Ning Luo interjected ahead of him.

“Colonel Cavaillé and I aren’t too familiar with matters inside Brittany Fortress. Is there anything you need assistance with, Major?”

Strictly speaking, there was nothing wrong with what Ning Luo had said.

While Colonel Cavaillé was certainly more familiar with Brittany Fortress than Ning Luo, he still couldn’t compare to Major Alvin, who had arrived together with General Asfled’s strategic staff. The previous Chief of General Staff, General Hastings, along with his entire staff, had already resigned and taken responsibility for their failures.

But Major Alvin understood Ning Luo’s underlying message: previously, he had used Ning Luo to suppress Director Dominique and the Logistics Department. Ning Luo had known—and tacitly allowed it.

Now, Major Alvin understood. This was the moment for him to express his loyalty.

"You're too polite. In that case, let me show you both around the fortress. Nearby, we have the Dragon Cavalry Regiment, the Military Intelligence Office, the Military Police Office, and the Military Discipline Office. Where would you like to start?"

"Let’s go to the Military Discipline Office first."

"Alright, please follow me."

……

Colonel Cavaillé, walking alongside, found it all a bit puzzling.

If this were a normal situation, he could understand what was happening: a newly promoted officer beginning to build his own power base—for example, how Major Alvin seemed to be getting drawn into Ning Luo's circle of influence.

But since it was Ning Luo, it became much more complicated.

Because—

There was no need.

What was Ning Luo’s position? He was the Deputy Director of the Military Logistics Department, which answered directly to General Asfled. That was practically the pinnacle of authority in all of Brittany Fortress. Had General Allenby, the Quartermaster Director, ever tried to establish a personal faction here?

No!

Because he didn’t need to. The officers of Brittany Fortress weren’t even in the same class of authority—by default, they were part of Ning Luo’s power structure. If Ning Luo went out of his way to build a faction beyond that, it would just be... a waste of time, nothing but idle theatrics.

Of course—

Priscilla had already noticed this, but she said nothing.

And Colonel Cavaillé wasn’t going to bring it up either. He certainly wouldn’t waste his breath over something like this. If Ning Luo wanted to mess around, let him. So long as it didn’t interfere with the actual operations of the Military Logistics Department, he could do whatever he liked.

They soon arrived at the Military Discipline Office.

The Military Police Office was essentially the gendarmerie. The Military Discipline Office, on the other hand, was responsible for enforcing rules and regulations within the military—covering everything from the conduct of officers and soldiers to ensuring that central policies were properly implemented.

The Military Logistics Department would inevitably need to cooperate with the Military Discipline Office.

By the time the group reached the Discipline Office—

Someone had already notified its head, Colonel Bart, who immediately came out to greet Colonel Cavaillé. Though they shared the same rank, there were vast differences between colonels—greater even than the difference between people and dogs.

Colonel Bart addressed Colonel Cavaillé with a formal inquiry.

"Colonel Cavaillé, is there something I can assist you with today?"

Technically speaking, if it were official business, Bart would have been summoned rather than directly visited like this.

If it was a personal matter, that was even trickier.

Colonel Cavaillé had no desire to get involved. He didn’t have time to waste on matters like this.

"It’s not about me. We were actually going to meet with Colonel Clayton, but he wasn’t in. So Major Alvin brought Captain Ning Luo around for a look, and I simply tagged along."

Only now did Colonel Bart notice Ning Luo.

He knew Major Alvin, of course—liaison officers frequently moved between departments, so that was no surprise.

Normally, seeing a senior staff colonel walking with a captain wasn’t unusual. Staff colonels often had adjutants at the captain or lieutenant level. So naturally, Colonel Bart assumed Ning Luo was Colonel Cavaillé’s adjutant.

But now it seemed that wasn’t the case—after all, they had walked in side by side.

And Ning Luo was too young. Even if he were the son of some duke sent here to gain experience, it still felt a bit excessive.

Colonel Bart only said,

"Oh, I see. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Nothing much, Colonel Bart. I just have a few questions for you."

"No problem at all—go ahead."

“I’ve investigated you before.”

The moment Ning Luo said that—

The atmosphere turned ice-cold in an instant. The smile on Colonel Bart’s face vanished without a trace. As the head of the Military Discipline Office, he understood full well the weight behind the word investigation.

At their level, even a hint of an investigation was intolerable.

The moment someone like him was being investigated, it could only mean one thing—the knife was already aimed squarely at his throat.

Even Colonel Cavaillé hadn’t expected this. Ning Luo had clearly come prepared.

Then, Ning Luo calmly pulled out a document.

“Colonel, please answer where you were on June 1st this year. On May 5th, you withdrew a batch of supplies from the Logistics Department, but there is no record explaining where those materials went. As of today, there have been twenty complaint letters filed against you, the majority of them citing abuse of authority.”

“Colonel Cavaillé, am I to understand this is your doing?!”

Colonel Bart whipped around, glaring furiously at Cavaillé.

Having such allegations laid bare in front of others was no small matter. And he couldn’t afford to explain himself either. Someone of his rank could only be judged by a military tribunal or the High Command Board from the rear.

Before Colonel Cavaillé could even respond, Ning Luo cut in coldly.

“Colonel, I’m giving you ten seconds to explain.”

That line almost made Colonel Bart laugh.

“I don’t need to report to some mere captain.”

“Ten.”

Ning Luo’s sudden attack caught Colonel Cavaillé completely off guard. Under normal circumstances, this should’ve been a moment of mutual probing, of subtle maneuvering and relationship building. But Ning Luo had aimed his blade straight at Colonel Bart’s face—did he seriously expect to force Bart into submission?

There wasn’t even time for Cavaillé to dwell on it. He immediately stepped forward, attempting to de-escalate before things spiraled out of control.

“Wait—wait! There must be some kind of misunderstanding!”

“Colonel Cavaillé! Even if you want to come after me, you should at least use an order from the General Staff—not send a captain to humiliate me!”

“Five.”

The only reply Colonel Bart received was Ning Luo’s cold, emotionless countdown.

Colonel Cavaillé felt his head pounding. So this was the real face of the Deputy Director of the Military Logistics Department—it was far more complicated than he had assumed.

He turned quickly to Bart and said,

“Colonel Bart, I understand what you’re thinking. But now is not the time to act on impulse. He’s not just any captain—he’s the Deputy Director of the Military Logistics Department.”

“Even if he is—”

“One.”

……

“Priscilla. Execute him.”

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